SNAPSHOT When her daughter got hurt on a slide in a
city park and the North St. Paul City Council would not fix the problem that
led to the accident, Betty McCollum got involved in politics. She was elected
to the city council on her second try.

In 1992 she ran for the state House of Representatives. District lines were
being redrawn at the time so she ran against two incumbents. She beat them
both.

In office, she was a strong environmentalist who opposed Northern States Power
when the utility sought permission to store spent nuclear waste in dry casks
outside the plant. She advocated election reform, including allowing absentee
voters to be able to vote without stating a reason they couldn't get to the
polls. She had a 92 percent rating from the AFL/CIO and a 100 percent rating
from the Sierra Club. She is in favor of abortion rights.

In her 1992 race for the state House, Betty McCollum beat incumbent Rep. Rick
O'Conner in the DFL primary with 53.5 percent of the vote and then went on
to beat Republican Rep. Dennis Newinski with nearly the same vote margin.
Her reelections since have been by wider margins.

In the primary for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Rep. Bruce Vento,
she survived a heated challenge by three experienced politicians. Two opponents,
state Sen. Steve Novak, and St. Paul City Council Member Chris Coleman, said
she distored their record in campaign literature. They complained even louder
of aggressive mailings sent on McCollum's behalf by the state DFL Party. McCollum
was the endorsed candidate. Ultimately, McCollum defeated Republican Linda
Runbeck and Independence Party candidate Tom Foley with 48 percent of the
vote. Then, in 2002, she won an easy victory with 74% of the votes cast.

Patty Wetterling's uncertain political futureDemocrat Patty Wetterling lost her bid for Congress by 30,000 votes. But political observers say Wetterling, as a first-time candidate, made a good showing against incumbent Republican Mark Kennedy. Now many wonder about Wetterling's political future. (11/03/2004)Minnesota members of Congress return to WashingtonMinnesota is sending back all of the state's incumbents to Congress. Republican Mark Kennedy defeated DFL challenger Patty Wetterling in the race that garnered most of the attention. Kennedy received 54 percent of the vote in Minnesota's 6th District to Wetterling's 46 percent of the vote. Kennedy's victory means that Minnesota's congressional delegation will be split with four Republicans and four Democrats. Members of both parties say they hope to put the recent partisan rhetoric behind them when they go back to Washington. (11/02/2004)Gutkencht confident of eighth termFor more than a decade, Republican Gil Gutknecht has represented the 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He's won his last few races handily. This year's election is unlikely to be any different. In fact Gutknecht is so confident he's barely campaigning at all. (10/29/2004)Meet the Candidates: Mark Kennedy and Patty WetterlingThe congressional race in Minnesota's 6th District has been one of the most closely watched in the country. In what would otherwise be a relatively safe reelection campaign, Republican Mark Kennedy is facing a challenge from a very well-known first-time candidate: missing children's advocate Patty Wetterling. Minnesota Public Radio's Meet the Candidates series continues with back-to-back interviews with Kennedy and Wetterling. (
10/28/2004)1st District and 5th District debatesMinnesota Public Radio's Meet the Candidates series continues with the congressional candidates in the 1st and 5th Districts. (
10/27/2004)3rd District debateMinnesota Public Radio's Meet the Candidates series continues with the 3rd District congressional candidates, incumbent Republican Jim Ramstad and his DFL challenger Deborah Watts. In the 2nd half hour, a look at the Senate races in South Dakota and Wisconsin. (
10/27/2004)Meet the candidates: 2nd Congressional DistrictA live Minnesota Public Radio debate between the candidates running for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District. Republican John Kline is in his first term in the U.S. Congress and is defending his seat against Democrat Teresa Daly. Independence Party candidate Doug Williams was also invited to participate in the debate but did not respond. (
10/26/2004)Meet the candidates: 4th Congressional DistrictA live Minnesota Public Radio debate between the candidates running for Minnesota's 4th Congressional District. Betty McCollum, a two-term Democratic incumbent, is defending her seat against Republican Patrice Bataglia. Independence Party candidate Peter Vento was also invited to participate in the debate but did not respond. (
10/26/2004)Sixth District candidates debateSixth District Republican Congressman Mark Kennedy is defending his seat from well-known missing children's advocate Patty Wetterling, a Democrat. They square off at a Sunday evening debate in St. Paul sponsored by the League of Women Voters and KSTP-TV. Minnesota Public Radio broadcasts the debate as part of our "Meet the Candidates" series. (
10/25/2004)Kennedy, Wetterling stage final 6th District debateIncumbent Republican Mark Kennedy and his Democratic challenger Patty Wetterling are involved in one of Minnesota's hottest congressional races. Their final debate was broadcast live from a Twin Cities television station. (10/25/2004)Negative ads suggest close race in Minnesota's 6th DistrictRepublican Mark Kennedy and the National Republican Congressional Committee are stepping up their criticism of DFLer Patty Wetterling. Both Kennedy and the NRCC are running television advertisements questioning Wetterling's credibility as a candidate and the special interest groups that support her. Wetterling says the ads are unfair and has countered with an ad of her own questioning the Republican tactics. (10/21/2004)Congressional candidates debate in St. CloudThe two candidates for Minnesota's 6th Congressional District met over the weekend for their second debate in St. Cloud. Incumbent Republican Mark Kennedy and Democratic challenger Patty Wetterling showed contrasting opinions on topics ranging from Social Security to the war in Iraq. (10/17/2004)In Minnesota's sprawling 6th District, the battleground may be TVThe candidates in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District are battling over the war on terrorism and homeland security. Republican Congressman Mark Kennedy has been running an ad suggesting DFL opponent Patty Wetterling opposes the war in Afghanistan. Wetterling says Kennedy is misleading voters and has been running her own ads touting her accomplishments in fighting crime. (10/14/2004)Hard feelings mark Minnesota's 2nd District raceRepublican Congressman John Kline and DFL Challenger Teresa Daly met on Monday for their second debate. The two candidates are running in Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District, which includes some southern Twin Cities suburbs and stretches south into Red Wing and Faribault. The 2002 race in Minnesota's 2nd was fiercely competitive, with Kline and DFL opponent Bill Luther both claiming the other was using underhanded tactics to get elected. The current race is likely to follow suit since both candidates are claiming their their opponent is engaged in mudslinging. (10/04/2004)Kennedy, Wetterling debate issues in 6th District raceRepublican Congressman Mark Kennedy and DFL challenger Patty Wetterling met in their first head-to-head debate on Sunday in Minneapolis. The two candidates are running in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District, which takes up St. Cloud, the northern Twin Cities suburbs and eastern suburbs, such as Woodbury and Stillwater. (10/04/2004)